I have a few Foderas and a few Squiers. I stink equally on each 
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Not sure what to make of this statement.
- Thread starter Wambemando
- Start date
The guitarist is most likely a jackass. That's what to make of it. I'd probably have popped off people disparaging others based on gear is usually the mark of an insecure and talentless hack, chuckled, and then ignored the fellow for the remainder of the session.
I cross paths on the daily with jackass’s! Musicians or not, there are more than enough to go around.
However, I admit, there have been plenty of times when I or someone else has said something meant to be snarky with the intent of humor and it just comes across as plain rude. Kill’m with kindness and groove on.
My reaction would depend on the general vibe I get from the guy—which I take it, from your reaction, was not good.
I need to feel relaxed to make good music, so I wouldn't enter into a situation with somebody I don't feel "safe" with. So a comment like that would probably be, to me, a good-natured invitation to engage in some self-deprecation. Like "Oh man, I'm compensating for so much more than you know." Or "Oh, actually, I stole every single one of them. So it's really a compensation for not having any basses."
I need to feel relaxed to make good music, so I wouldn't enter into a situation with somebody I don't feel "safe" with. So a comment like that would probably be, to me, a good-natured invitation to engage in some self-deprecation. Like "Oh man, I'm compensating for so much more than you know." Or "Oh, actually, I stole every single one of them. So it's really a compensation for not having any basses."
I just don't get hung up on what, for all intents and purposes, a stranger thinks about my "stuff" whether it's my gear, my house, my car, or, heaven forbid, my motorcycle. I'd like and expect some common decency and respect but in the grand scheme of things I don't give a rat's. I guess I've been toughened up by years of construction site and hockey locker room shenanigans, tom foolery, chicanery.
I just took that quote from that schnook of a guitar player, put it in the INPUT of my INSECURITY TRANSLATOR software, and the read out says 'I'm SO jealous of that nice bass while I'm STUCK with this sled of a guitar 'cause I can't afford all the PBR's I want AND a Paul Reed Smith'.
Screw it. That's a HIM problem and not a YOU problem, and I guarantee he was like that way before you showed up, and will still be like that after you or he is gone. It happens. I'd show up on a local gig with an Alembic, and half of them were dumbstruck as they'd never seen one up close (or at all), and the other half couldn't imagine WHY I didn't have a Fender. And the back half shut up once I started playing, the best way to shut that water off.
Screw it. That's a HIM problem and not a YOU problem, and I guarantee he was like that way before you showed up, and will still be like that after you or he is gone. It happens. I'd show up on a local gig with an Alembic, and half of them were dumbstruck as they'd never seen one up close (or at all), and the other half couldn't imagine WHY I didn't have a Fender. And the back half shut up once I started playing, the best way to shut that water off.
LOL - Not long ago, I was auditioning a guitarist. When discussing his experience I asked him if he played the bass at all. He gestured to the low strings on his guitar and replied, "I've got these four strings don't I?"
He did NOT get the gig.
He did NOT get the gig.
Back in my younger days my response would have been along these lines too. But these days I have less patience for dickheads and will quite happily call out stupid behaviour. I would have no hesitation saying something like:
Well that's obviously incorrect, given the number of top artists who use [brand name]. I'm not putting myself at the same level as [artist who plays brand name] but to dismiss them compensating for a lack of ability is just wrong. If you have a particular issue with my actual playing, just say so.
He’s probably right. That’s why Hendrix played all those Grecos and Freshers.
Yep, play their game, it won’t drastically alter the outcome, but it’s much more fun and can often be a learning experience for those smartasses who never learned to don their poopie proof suits before engaging in a poopie slinging match. Not to mention you have to keep your chops up and there’s no better way than to engage in some real world head cutting activities.
First , just ignore the statement . To prove my friends statement that people with expensive gear don't play well . I had a guitarist auditioning for the band I was in at the time and this guy shows up driving a six plus figure BMW . Next , the guy is playing a $10,000.00 PRS guitar and a PRS amp and in the end.......this guy was the worst guitarist EVER ! Could not play one tune on our 4 set list . Now , it's silly to equate talent and price of gear has any connection to one another . People buy/play what they want or can afford.......move on .
Ok, first off, what a jerk thing for him to say about your USA instruments. Period. I’d bet I’d find it hard working in a band with this guy if that was his attitude on everything - or to put people down for no reason.
Second - your comment here (quoted) is interesting. There were some REALLY good instruments being made in Japan in the 70’s - a bunch of the good copies will now sell for $1-4k. All those “I’ve been had” 70’s Ibanez guitars were really well made, and some are highly desired by many collectors. And not just Ibanez - lots of Japanese made instruments from that era have a strong following. So your comment about “not being a gear snob” is a bit snobby - implying these instruments are not of high quality.
Third point: there is a diminishing point where instruments get more expensive by being more fancy but not functionally being any better. Some people would throw PRS Artist guitars in that category. “Dentist’s guitars”. There are certainly expensive boutique bass companies out there as well - and there are definitely people who buy expensive instruments to impress others bc they aren’t impressing them with their playing skills. This is not the majority, and statements putting down a whole group of people bc of a brand or price point of the instrument they play really does nothing positive.
That said, when people see (or hear about) my guitar (and bass) collection, I like to joke (though I’m my biggest critic and inside I’m not really making a joke) that I have so many guitars bc I CAN’T play well. Or I say “yeah, someday I might actually learn how to play!”. I was having a chat with a very renowned guitarist and I asked him how many guitars HE had. “Just 3, though I mostly play just this one.” I replied, “Just 3?! You must play REALLY good to own so few!”
Ok, well, it was smoother in conversation. Point was, I collected but couldn’t play and he didn’t collect and was a massive player. But that’s certainly just a joke, bc there’s plenty of monster players who are also monster collectors, as well as single instrument owners who can’t fret a note.
Returning to your post - tough to tell if that guy was just ribbing you, as these types of comments are extremely common within guitar forums that maybe he figured you knew he was joking and just repeating the oldest joke in guitar circles. Or maybe this guy thinks all bass players are guitarists who couldn’t play chords or solo so they switched to bass.
Side story: I auditioned for a “Craigslist band ad” that was in an unknown area. Decided I wasn’t bringing my expensive go-to rig, so I grabbed my $99 “Ventura” bass (I no longer have, but don’t recall selling??) and a cheap but loud combo amp and met up at the location given. Well, I didn’t get mugged, so that was good, but a couple of the band members looked at the bass and said “Ventura? What bass is that??” - and had judged me by my gear before I even played a note. Would love to say I proved them wrong, but they auditioned me to a track instead of playing with them, and the guitarist and drummer walked off before the track even began. The BL set the track up for me to play with, and recorded me (!!!), with zero warm up - and it was an original song of theirs. I flubbed the whole thing, was thanked for coming by after 10 minutes, and drove home licking my wounds. Learned some good lessons that day. Never reached back out to them or vice versa. Sad too, bc their music was good!
David Lee Roth once said, "If you can't do it with a bare bulb hanging from a wire, and 1,2,3, Go! . . .
Then you can't do it at all"
I said that to say this. The guy sounds kinda like me. I play Squiers and I often say stuff like the above quote (in good fun, and only after I've known someone for a while). It's a veiled attempt to razz the other guy before he can razz me, and the smirk is there because I know I'm provoking the other guy to come back with his own shot at me (in good fun).
He probably thought things were going better than what you were thinking they were, and he just jumped the gun on the comedy/tomfoolery.
That's the feeling I get, anyway. YMMV
Then you can't do it at all"
I said that to say this. The guy sounds kinda like me. I play Squiers and I often say stuff like the above quote (in good fun, and only after I've known someone for a while). It's a veiled attempt to razz the other guy before he can razz me, and the smirk is there because I know I'm provoking the other guy to come back with his own shot at me (in good fun).
He probably thought things were going better than what you were thinking they were, and he just jumped the gun on the comedy/tomfoolery.
That's the feeling I get, anyway. YMMV
Hey, I know that guy!
But serious, my friend wanted to learn guitar at age 45. Married, no kids, had a 6 figure Mercedes he leased new every 2-3 years. Huge house. Dined at expensive places. Rolex, suits. He worked in sales. So he goes and buys a PRS Private Stock guitar. Think he was bragging it was only $20k bc he talked the guy down from $25k. And he tried to learn to play. 6 months later, he had that guitar in a case in the corner and was playing a $400 acoustic and was having a great time with it. He wouldn’t have tried out for a band though - he could hear himself. We did play holiday tunes at a retirement facility and everyone was super appreciative.
I've noticed that when I play my Bongo 6 I'm better than Geddy Lee. But, when I play my Glarry 6, I play like a newbie. It has to be the bass. He's throwing stuff at the wall seeing if it will stick. The less attention you pay to this type of statement the more it will bug him, not you. Play!
